Why does an Atheist have a Tree?
It’s about being happy together
Tomorrow is Christmas. There is no denying that. Christians the world over will be celebrating. I’ll be celebrating as well, just not Christmas.
In our house, we celebrate Present Day. Yes, you read that correctly. We have bypassed the religious trappings and headed straight for the heart of the holiday: presents.
We have a brightly lit, beautifully decorated tree and lots of presents waiting underneath. It might seem like we are crass consumers, but I disagree. We are not celebrating consumerism. Present-day is not all about presents.
Wait! You just said that it was. No, I said that it is the heart of the holiday, but it is not the heart of our holiday. For us, the Present Day is about giving. We do give actual physical gifts, but we also give ourselves to each other. It is a day we set aside to be together and do things for each other out of love.
We have a meal together. That might not seem like much, but we don’t sit down each night to eat together. It simply isn’t part of our lifestyle. On Present Day, we not only each together, but we each also get to choose a dish that we want. It’s our way of sharing the things we enjoy.
Our meal this year will include shrimp scampi, Chinese takeout, chicken satay, jambalaya, roasted asparagus and broccoli, German chocolate cake, and deviled eggs. Zoë and I will cook. Our eighteen-year-old will pick up the Chinese takeout.
The day will start out looking a lot like Christmas. In the morning, we’ll all gather around the tree and open presents. Jokes will be made; photos will be taken and breakfast will be eaten. After that, we’ll cook while everyone hangs around talking. We will enjoy each other’s presence.
Present Day is about being present. It’s a day we use to be together and truly present for each other. It’s not about the birth of a holy infant. It’s not about salvation. It’s about being together in the here and now.
The decorated tree serves as a focal point. We cut it down and decorate it together. We have special ornaments that we put on each year that tell the story of us and the things we like.
It’s not Christmas for us. Present Day is our family holiday. It just happens to fall on a day when everyone has off.